Selena Gomez Breaks Down The ‘Beauty Myth’ After All That Bikini Coverage

On Monday (March 19), it was hard to look anywhere on the world wide web without seeing paparazzi pics of Selena Gomez rocking an orange bathing suit. The pop star was photographed soaking up the sun in Sydney, Australia, and the ensuing pics ignited troll-heavy conversations about Gomez’s body and the visible scars from her kidney transplant surgery last year.


But right now, Gomez has seemingly responded to the scrutiny by sharing another version of the day’s events — one that gives us a much more intimate peek at her life than those invasive shots zoomed in on her belly and thighs. On Instagram, she posted a vintage-filtered video of her companions sailing away, smiling, and recreating an iconic Titanic scene. The post is soundtracked by the properly carefree Alvvays tune “Dream Tonite,” and it’s accompanied by an apparent message for body-shamers.


“The aesthetics myth — an obsession with physical perfection that traps modern woman in an endless cycle of hopelessness, self consciousness, and self-hatred as she tries to fulfill society’s impossible definition of flawless beauty,” Gomez wrote. “I chose to take care of myself because I'd like to, not to prove anything to anyone. Wind in her sails.”


With her post, Gomez is making it clear that health and self-love are more critical than attaining society’s unrealistic aesthetics standards. Indeed, the perfect revenge is a life lived well, also it looks like Gomez is focused on doing just that.


Last year, the 25-year-old spoke to Billboard about learning to love and take care of her body while recovering from her surgeries. She mentioned, “I just kept thinking about how much my body is my own. [After the surgery] I had this sense of gratitude for myself. I don't think I've ever just stopped and been like, ‘I'm actually grateful for who I am.’”


She added, “I didn't [feel comfortable with my scars at first], although I do right now. … If I look at my body right now, I just visualize life. There really are a million things I can do — lasers and creams and all that stuff — nevertheless I'm OK with it.”